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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
re: More on Solemn Exposition	Chas	Monday, June 7, 2010
Question: Dear Brother – Following intently the questions asked and your replies regarding Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament has opened a can of wormy questions, at least for me. I want to fully understand this correctly. “For solemn exposition, the host should be consecrated in the Mass which immediately precedes the exposition and after communion should be placed in the monstrance on the altar. The Mass ends with the prayer after communion, and the concluding rites are omitted. Before the priest leaves, he may place the Blessed Sacrament on the throne and incense it. #14, OSEHE” Is there a difference between “solemn exposition” and “exposition” or is all exposition considered solemn? Is this assuming that there will be a period of exposition after the Mass and is the usual blessing of the Mass omitted? Sorry, but I’m confused on this. “During the exposition there should be prayers, songs, and readings to direct the attention of the faithful to the worship of Christ the Lord. To encourage a prayerful spirit, there should be readings from Scripture . . . #15, OSEHE” In my parish, every first Friday we have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from starting at 7:00 am with no mass beforehand and then concluding at 6PM with mass following immediately. I sign up many times to go for an hour and in most cases I’m the only one there and I wait till somebody else arrives to take over for me. I don’t have a set of prayers but I just like to look at our Lord, love him, talk to him, praise him in awe, contemplate on his greatness, by thinking with, Him in mind, how vast the universe is, and that He is at the farthest known reaches of the universe and beyond that but still resides in all his splendor, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist, adore him for his greatness and silently sing songs of praise. Is this OK? The reason is because you state “As an official liturgy, it is not a personal devotion to which we can do anything we want. As liturgy the Church regulates it. Period.” So what about all these churches that have Perpetual Adoration and people just go to an Adoration Chapel where Our Lord is exposed and spending a few minutes or an hour in adoration. Also you state “As liturgy the Church regulates it.” I have yet to see any type of regulation anywhere at any church regarding this. “Processions within the body of a church are no longer permitted.” Wow!! I didn’t know this was not allowed. I know this is done in many Churches especially yesterday in my church where there was procession around the church inside with several altar servers some carrying the crucifix, others carrying torches, thurifers with incense, two priests two deacons followed by the priest carrying the Monstrance and four men carrying a canopy, after which the final blessing was given by the priest with the Blessed Sacrament. At another Church something similar is done every year but there is a procession to an altar in courtyard outside, a blessing is given, and then the procession goes back into the Church where another blessing is given. Are these not allowed anymore? “At the end of the period of adoration, before reposition, he blesses the people with the sacrament.” Must the priest or deacon always bless the people with the sacrament at the end of adoration? I know in many churches the priest or deacon will simply go an repose the sacrament without giving a blessing.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Chas: I cannot speak for all the abuses local parishes do to the liturgy or why they do them. All I can do is tell you what the Church says. St. Augustine says, "Lord, those are your best servants who wish to shape their life on Your answers rather than to shape your answers on their wishes." If the Church says it is to be done a certain way then that is the way it is to be done. There is no debate to be had. Some priests I suppose are ignorant of the liturgical rules. But, as priests they have a solemn responsibility to know the liturgical laws and approved rubrics. Thus, I have little sympathy for a priest who says he doesn't know. It is his job to know. For a priest who does know and ignores the rules, double shame on him. He is most likely committing a grave sin in his rebellion. As for what you do when you go to Adoration, what you are doing is perfectly okay. It is laudable in fact. One can pray or just meditate upon our Lord. What is illicit is to do is other devotions, such as the rosary, or devotions to this or that saint. Our time with our Lord is to be spent with our Lord, not ignoring Him in favor of some other saint, even His mother. The regulations about "prayers, songs, and readings to direct the attention of the faithful to the worship of Christ the Lord" pertains to when there are a group of people there such at the beginning of Adoration period. Then the rest of the day individual adorers, like yourself, may sit before our Lord in prayer, meditation, and adoration. As for seeing regulations on this, I cited the regulations and linked to the site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and referenced the documents, the Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass and the Order for Solemn Exposition of the Holy Eucharist. What more is needed? God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

re: More on Solemn Exposition

Chas

Monday, June 7, 2010

Question:

Dear Brother – Following intently the questions asked and your replies regarding Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament has opened a can of wormy questions, at least for me. I want to fully understand this correctly.

“For solemn exposition, the host should be consecrated in the Mass which immediately precedes the exposition and after communion should be placed in the monstrance on the altar. The Mass ends with the prayer after communion, and the concluding rites are omitted. Before the priest leaves, he may place the Blessed Sacrament on the throne and incense it. #14, OSEHE”

Is there a difference between “solemn exposition” and “exposition” or is all exposition considered solemn? Is this assuming that there will be a period of exposition after the Mass and is the usual blessing of the Mass omitted? Sorry, but I’m confused on this.

“During the exposition there should be prayers, songs, and readings to direct the attention of the faithful to the worship of Christ the Lord. To encourage a prayerful spirit, there should be readings from Scripture . . . #15, OSEHE”

In my parish, every first Friday we have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from starting at 7:00 am with no mass beforehand and then concluding at 6PM with mass following immediately. I sign up many times to go for an hour and in most cases I’m the only one there and I wait till somebody else arrives to take over for me. I don’t have a set of prayers but I just like to look at our Lord, love him, talk to him, praise him in awe, contemplate on his greatness, by thinking with, Him in mind, how vast the universe is, and that He is at the farthest known reaches of the universe and beyond that but still resides in all his splendor, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist, adore him for his greatness and silently sing songs of praise. Is this OK?

The reason is because you state “As an official liturgy, it is not a personal devotion to which we can do anything we want. As liturgy the Church regulates it. Period.”

So what about all these churches that have Perpetual Adoration and people just go to an Adoration Chapel where Our Lord is exposed and spending a few minutes or an hour in adoration.

Also you state “As liturgy the Church regulates it.” I have yet to see any type of regulation anywhere at any church regarding this.

“Processions within the body of a church are no longer permitted.”

Wow!! I didn’t know this was not allowed. I know this is done in many Churches especially yesterday in my church where there was procession around the church inside with several altar servers some carrying the crucifix, others carrying torches, thurifers with incense, two priests two deacons followed by the priest carrying the Monstrance and four men carrying a canopy, after which the final blessing was given by the priest with the Blessed Sacrament. At another Church something similar is done every year but there is a procession to an altar in courtyard outside, a blessing is given, and then the procession goes back into the Church where another blessing is given. Are these not allowed anymore?

“At the end of the period of adoration, before reposition, he blesses the people with the sacrament.”

Must the priest or deacon always bless the people with the sacrament at the end of adoration? I know in many churches the priest or deacon will simply go an repose the sacrament without giving a blessing.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Chas:

I cannot speak for all the abuses local parishes do to the liturgy or why they do them. All I can do is tell you what the Church says. St. Augustine says, "Lord, those are your best servants who wish to shape their life on Your answers rather than to shape your answers on their wishes."

If the Church says it is to be done a certain way then that is the way it is to be done. There is no debate to be had.

Some priests I suppose are ignorant of the liturgical rules. But, as priests they have a solemn responsibility to know the liturgical laws and approved rubrics. Thus, I have little sympathy for a priest who says he doesn't know. It is his job to know. For a priest who does know and ignores the rules, double shame on him. He is most likely committing a grave sin in his rebellion.

As for what you do when you go to Adoration, what you are doing is perfectly okay. It is laudable in fact. One can pray or just meditate upon our Lord. What is illicit is to do is other devotions, such as the rosary, or devotions to this or that saint. Our time with our Lord is to be spent with our Lord, not ignoring Him in favor of some other saint, even His mother.

The regulations about "prayers, songs, and readings to direct the attention of the faithful to the worship of Christ the Lord" pertains to when there are a group of people there such at the beginning of Adoration period. Then the rest of the day individual adorers, like yourself, may sit before our Lord in prayer, meditation, and adoration.

As for seeing regulations on this, I cited the regulations and linked to the site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and referenced the documents, the Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass and the Order for Solemn Exposition of the Holy Eucharist. What more is needed?

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum